A few days ago I happened to be at a Michigan State operated boat launch site in Southeast Michigan. I coundn't help but notice the state Department of Natural Resources employee walk around the parking lot spraying pre-mixed RTU Round Up with no PPE. Just out of curiosity I asked the guy if he was licensed to apply pesticides. His answer was " I'm not killing any bugs I'm killing weeds"! I didn't need to inquire anymore as his response pretty much said it all. Believe me when I say I was not surprised as I have seen this happen before when our local DPW employees were spraying Round Up on sidewalks and curb areas. There was also the time when the DPW guys were soil drenching our Ash trees with Merit. Nobody had a license. In Michigan it's a requirement to have a pesticide license if you apply any pesticides through the course of your employment. While I was not surprised by any of this it still irritates the hell out of me every time I send my money to the State to renew our business license and our certification. What bothers me even more is the fact the those who enacted all the laws and regulations are putting everybody at risk buy not complying with them.
His answer was " I'm not killing any bugs I'm killing weeds"! I didn't need to inquire anymore as his response pretty much said it all.
While I was not surprised by any of this it still irritates the hell out of me every time I send my money to the State to renew our business license and our certification. What bothers me even more is the fact the those who enacted all the laws and regulations are putting everybody at risk buy not complying with them.
Yeah,..THAT would go as far as one phone cal...No state DOA inspector wold even bother to call and check on this. Now, could someone from the EPA or USDA get involved? If the right person got the attention, - perhaps so.
Now, by premixed, do you mean mixed from a concentrate? Or was it ready to use? There is a difference. The PPE was still wrong, but government employees (state, etc) can use RTU pesticides. There are alot of weird things with government. All the licensing I have to go through to even drive my own trucks (commercial Chauffeurs license, etc.), but yet I drive a fire truck with no CDL, no air brake endorsement, or anything. Yes, I have an endorsement for emergency driving, but absolutely nothing for air brakes or CDL for a rig that size.
Joe, It was an RTU product. Sprayer attached to the one gallon container. Are you saying that a government employee can use an RTU without a license? If it's in the regulations I don't see it. My understanding is that if you apply a pesticide through the course of your employment you must be a licensed applicator. If there is something about ready to use products being applied by unlicensed applicators please share that info. I understand the " weird things " with the government workers but if this really is the case something really is wrong here. I fail to see why there would be any difference in what form or dilution a pesticide is in. If your applying a pesticide every applicator should be licensed IMO.And it shouldn't't matter who mixed the pesticide. Whether or not that applicator works for the State should not make a difference .
School and municipal employees workers in my area have no regard for safety or good practices where Roundup and other pesticides are concerned. I have worked beside and spoken to many. Typically, in addition to not caring, they have little understanding of how one thing impacts another whether they are trying to grow or control (kill) grass and weeds.
I don't think I have ever seen a school or city/township worker wear gloves (of any kind) while handling, mixing, or spraying Roundup. No eye protection and you can count on being mocked and ridiculed you if you break out a respirator (so what). I have seen Roundup sprayed at 100% around curbs and in parking lots - filled a 2 gallon sprayer with concentrate, no dilution. I have seen a guy washing lots of full strength concentrate off his hands in a park restroom. His sprayer clogged, he poured the concentrate back in the original container (one benefit of not diluting), took the sprayer apart barehanded and cleaned out the intake line. Unfortunately, it is routine here for guys to spray 18" wide around fences and some trees.
Although they do better work in other parts of their jobs, the words "workmanship like manner" rarely come to mind with regard to turf. In my experience, they come by this honestly as their managers and directors have very little regard for the care of turf, specifically, or parks in general. It is an embarrassment and frustrating to have to deal with over and over.
And then we could get into the discussion of why he was wasting taxpayer dollars using a 1 gallon RTU container to spray weeds.
I'm sure there is some loophole.
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